Namaste a Message from Vandita

YOGA Bulletin training inspiration community winter 2009 volume 18 issue 4 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 Namaste: The Teaching for Diversity issue Namaste 2 Stories from TFD recipients A message from Vandita 5 The Studio Space: Dream Yoga 7 The KYTA Community Forum The Teaching for Diversity issue 8 The state of the training: Questions for Devarshi 10 Safety, trust, and substitute teaching ere in the KYTA Office, we have a bookshelf lined with thick white binders that 11 The true teacher hold the proposals and reports we receive each year from KYTA members ap- 12 Yoga on Disc: New products plying for Teaching for Diversity grants. They don’t grab your attention from the Houtside, but these binders contain hundreds of stories of transformation—transformation brought about by the powerful effects of yoga on both It feels especially appropriate teachers and students. In this issue, at this time of year to bring awareness we highlight six of to the ways in which we can give of our those stories, contributed by recipients time, energy, and resources. of Teaching for Diversity grants. The work they are doing in their communities, with populations ranging from aboriginal teenagers to inner-city children to prison inmates, is moving, inspiring, and absolutely vital. This program has been going strong for almost nine years, and in that time we have awarded more than $200,000 to some 230 teachers throughout the country and around the world. The Teaching for Diversity program and the Rachel Greene Memorial Fund are two powerful initiatives that I am incredibly proud to have helped shepherd during my years with KYTA. We will again be awarding grants early in 2010; watch for announcements of application dead- lines in upcoming editions of the KYTA E-news and Updates and the Yoga Bulletin. It feels especially appropriate at this time of year to bring awareness to the ways in which we can give of our time, energy, and resources. I hope the following stories inspire you to apply for a grant to bring yoga to an underserved population in your community, or to donate to the Teaching for Diversity program, so we can continue to expand the depth and breadth of yoga’s reach and bring greater thriving and joy to our world.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season,

P.S. Save the date: KYTA Conference 2010, June 24–27.

From “yogurt” to life skills: Teaching yoga to inner-city children Since 2002, I have supervised a three-week yoga program at Camp Courant, one of the largest free day camps for inner- city children in the nation. I created the program with Beth Gibbs, Director at Camp Courant, and my responsibilities include organizing the program, supervising and assisting our two yoga teachers, and teaching a group of five- and six-year-olds. Five- to 8-year-olds take introductory classes, while 11- and 12-year-olds join the Yoga Rocks Club, which meets daily for one hour throughout the three weeks. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to see the children’s interest in yoga blossom. At first they didn’t know what yoga was and were resistant—they would jokingly call it “yogurt.” Now they get off the bus on the first day of camp and ask, “When does the yoga program start?” This program has been one of my most labor-intensive efforts, and to see the children valuing and loving yoga is a wonderful blessing. It’s rewarding when they tell me how they use yoga to calm down when they are upset and to relax when they are stressed. It’s rewarding to see yoga providing these children with a healthy skill set for dealing with life’s challenges. It’s rewarding to observe children like Raven Mitchell, age 10, who has participated in the program for the last three years and now assists in classes for the younger children. It is my hope to one day see Raven get a scholarship from Kripalu to become a yoga teacher. As well as receiving a grant from Teaching for Diversity, I have also donated back to the program. How could I not when I have seen first-hand what the yoga program at Camp Courant has done for the children? I hope to see yoga programs for children in need starting up around the nation and worldwide, and donating to TFD is the way to make this happen.

—Laura Magnussen, Windsor, Connecticut, KYTA member since 2002

Relaxing into the unknown: Teaching yoga to cancer patients My Teaching for Diversity grant supported a series of sessions offering relaxation exercises and meditation techniques to cancer patients at Boston Medical Center. Most of these new yogis were women who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and those who had been living with breast cancer, though some patients with ovarian cancer also joined the group. The sessions were offered in a chair rather than on the ﬂoor, and though yoga was new to almost everyone, they were all able to do the breathing exercises, body-based meditative visualizations, and yoga postures. The more I slowed down the movements, the more they enjoyed them. What the students told me most frequently was that after classes, they felt calmer and less anxious about everything in their lives. They became more comfortable relaxing as they gradually befriended their bodies, which they felt had turned against them. One woman who did not speak English came regularly with her daughter, who told me that her mother enjoyed the classes so much that it didn’t matter that they weren’t in Arabic. I am struck by how regular people become living testimonies of courage as they move through extraordinarily difficult experiences. I was again and again inspired by their dignity as they faced not knowing whether they would get better or not. Teaching yoga to students who were aware of the preciousness of time was a huge gift for me. It increased my appreciation for the magic sacredness in every moment, which in turn increased my comfort in supporting people in handling challenges associated with illness.

—Anna Dunwell, Newton Center, Massachusetts, KYTA member since 2003 continued on next page

Completing the circle: Teaching, giving, and receiving In 2006, I received a Teaching for Diversity grant to bring yoga to women living in a shelter after escaping domestic violence, as well as women recovering from substance abuse who had lost custody of their children. It was amazing to see how the yoga affected them as they pulled themselves out of these situations. They especially loved the Warrior pose, because of its feeling of strength and power. Last year I received a Rachel Greene Memorial Fund scholarship to attend Yoga EdTM training at Kripalu. Using the elements and inspiration I gained from that training, as well as my background as a visual artist and educator, I have since created a self-empowerment and community-building program for at-risk adolescent girls that combines yoga, art, health awareness, and leadership activities. I also joined the teaching team for a yoga program, run by Kripalu’s Institute for Extraor- dinary Living, at a public high school in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This is my second year co-teaching yoga as part of their physical education classes for the year. It is quite an exhilarating feeling to enter a high school classroom, transformed into a yoga space, and to have the privilege of watching an equally remarkable transformation take place in their young lives. KYTA has given me tools through its grants to go out in the world to do work that is important and also supports the growth of my practice. For that reason, I was eager to give The Teaching for Diversity Program back when I had the opportunity. When my father died, I made a donation to the Teaching provides grants and scholarships to for Diversity program in his name—it felt like a really good “right action.” My mom, who’s members of the Kripalu Yoga Teach- now 83 and still practicing yoga, is the one who first introduced me to yoga, and she was ers Association (KYTA) and the Inter- so happy to hear about this donation. Teachers are definitely a segment of the population national Association of Black Yoga that is under-supported and undervalued. That’s why I appreciate KYTA’s support so much. Teachers (IABYT). Members receive grants and scholarships to teach in —Karen Arp-Sandel, Canaan, New York, KYTA member since 2001 disadvantaged schools or to diverse populations such as ethnic minorities Creating sustainability: Teaching for the long term and those who are socially, economi- Teaching for Diversity grants are a great way to get a new class started in a social- cally, or physically challenged. service agency serving a special-needs population, where yoga can readily be seen as a complementary therapy to other services already provided by the agency. For a new Through the Rachel Greene Memorial teacher confronting the difficulty of finding that first job, creating your own class may Fund, established in memory of yoga be the doorway to gaining real-time teaching experience. And the personal rewards of teacher Rachel Greene, scholarships bringing yoga to people who may never find their way to a yoga studio are huge. are awarded to yoga teachers or el- But TFD grants are relatively short-term in the extent of their funding for any one ementary school classroom teachers class. Once you’ve got a class going, you’ll need to find other sources of funding in order to for curriculum designed to bring yoga make it sustainable for the long term. As wonderful as introducing yoga to a special-needs into disadvantaged public schools. population may be, it’s infinitely better if that class can continue with sustainable financing. Having started a class on a volunteer basis at a residential facility for adolescent For information and an application mothers last year, I started the search for funding to attract a more qualified teacher. form for a grant to bring yoga to The TFD grant got us started, and Kripalu Yoga teacher Senta Reis was able to begin diverse populations, click here. teaching. She followed up with another short-term grant from an agency supporting women’s issues. Now the class had been running for a year, and we had young moms For information and an application form benefiting from a weekly ongoing yoga practice. for a scholarship to take yoga into dis- I then solicited help from KYTA, and we came up with a plan establishing a dedi- advantaged schools, click here. cated fund within the TFD program. We were able to attract a generous grant from the Berkshire Kripalu Community in conjunction with my own personal contribution. Since To donate to the Teaching for Diver- KYTA is a non-profit, its involvement allowed my contribution to qualify for a matching sity program or the Rachel Greene contribution from my employer under its charitable giving program, and suddenly we Memorial Fund, click here. One had something that was starting to look like sustainable financing. The final step was hundred percent of your donation will convincing the director of the facility to budget $10 per class toward sustainability. be put to work immediately to bring If you can start a class using a TFD grant or even as a volunteer at an agency, you may yoga to children and adults around find that, in addition to helping launch your own teaching career, the good work you are the country and the world. doing may well attract more sustainable financing. View a slide show of Teaching for —Devadas (Gregg Day), West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, KYTA member since 2006 Diversity participants. continued on next page

Working with what is: Teaching yoga to aboriginal teenagers in Canada Funded by two Teaching for Diversity grants, I taught yoga to aboriginal teenagers in Canada this year and last year, first in a local high school gym class and then in a residential home. Most of the teen girls at the high school came from the far northern reserves, where there is almost no road access—fy-in only. Their exposure to yoga up there is nonexistent. Body wisdom, self-love, nurturing their spirit and body—all of these concepts are foreign to them. They are sent away to school with no preparedness for the big-city lights and the fast-moving society, and many of them are sent back home, week by week, as they fall prey to drugs and alcohol or to homesickness and loneliness. The little bit of yoga that I was able to offer the girls opened their minds to possibilities and new avenues of thought and expression. I could see the impact on one of the girls in particular as she began to be more cognizant of her body and her awareness of breath and energy. I could see she gathered strength and confidence in her mind and spirit as she became more confident and strong in her body. I believe that it will stay with her and she will be able to draw from that place of peace and strength that she found in yoga as she navigates the challenges of moving into a society with new rules, etiquette, and goals. Sometimes she was the only girl who would show up for class, but I learned not to take it personally. I had to let go of my ego and remember if I touched only one person with my intention, that was good enough. Teaching at the residential home was very challenging. One of the young men I taught there committed suicide a couple months later; this is very common with this population—a tragic statistic. He was difficult to teach, but I tried to convey all my mindfulness and kindness through my eyes and tone of voice when I looked at him. He was often antagonistic, and I met his rudeness with a non-reacting, peaceful gaze, with acceptance. I didn’t negate it, but didn’t engage in it either. One of the young girls noticed how I reacted to his energy, and in a thank-you card afterwards wrote, “You are soft with the hardest of people.” I know my “yoga attitude” and energy were a positive infuence on her. I am now working on an arrangement with the residential facility and the Canadian Mental Health Association to run a regular program for their clients. This work has made me realize how different we are, and how much we are alike as well.

—Colleen Sadler, Thunder Bay, Ontario, KYTA member since 2004

On the mat, behind bars: Teaching yoga at the Ontario County Jail At first the men are focused on checking each other out. They giggle and throw snide comments across the room at each other. They glance out the windows to see who may be passing by, who may be watching them in yoga class. The whole idea of becoming quiet and centering seems like an invita- tion to let their imaginations run—away from the focus of the practice. So I skip it. Swinging twist, everyone—exhale at the back of the twist, inhale to the front. Pick up the pace! Next I try the graceful side stretch we know as Ardha Chandrasana. In the middle of the second row I hear some more snorts and a whispered, “This is ballet.” Okay. We take a forward bend, step back, and explore the details of Plank for a while before descending carefully and slowly to Chataranga, stretching upward to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, and finally pressing back to Adho Mukha Svana- sana. They’re not giggling anymore. When I suggest they drop their knees to the foor and relax in Child pose, there is a great sigh of relief. Their focus has now shifted to the posture. We re-engage Adho Mukha Svanasana, working the details of the posture—grounding the hands and feet, stretching the hamstrings, opening the shoulders, lengthening the spine. Remarkably, after a little more practice most of the Down Dogs are looking a lot straighter. I never ask what they did to get here. In class they are simply fellow yogis. By the end of the class they are happy to take Savasana and surrender into quietness. We sit up for a final few moments of breathwork and take in the benefits of the practice. I greet them with “Namaste” and they return the greeting with sincerity. Then we get up off the dirty linoleum foor, roll up the mats, and go our separate ways. Over time they enter the room fully able to begin with the pranayama and centering, and I observe their bodies straighten and balance. In an unsolicited letter of appreciation presented to me a few weeks ago, the men stated that “the time spent within our practice has proved much more than ‘time served’ … You have helped to improve our physical, mental, and emotional well-being in ways few of us ever expected.” My most treasured affirmation occurred one day as we picked up the mats after practice and I heard one man remark to his fellow inmate, “I wasn’t in jail anymore.”

—Wendy Stoddard, Canandaigua, New York, KYTA member since 2008 n

go to page 1 go to page 2 go to page 5 go to page 7 go to page 8 go to page 10 go to page 11 go to page 12 Namaste TFD Stories Studio Space KYTA Forum State of Training Substitute Teaching True Teacher Reviews YOGA Bulletin winter 2009 volume 18 issue 4 5 THE STUDIO SPACE Kripalu Affiliate Studio owners and managers share their keys to success Dream Yoga Studio & Wellness Center Owner: Luann Fulbright, KYT, RYT 500 Location: McLean, Virginia Website: www.dreamyogastudio.com

s What are the biggest challenges and biggest rewards of owning a studio? I’d like to emphasize the rewards, as they make meeting any challenges we face at Dream worthwhile. I was the only teacher at Dream Yoga until 2007, when I opened a larger studio. Now I feel incredibly blessed to be able to offer more services and to work with 16 other teachers and healing arts professionals who enthusiastically share what they love and what they know works to help others become more conscious, healthy, joyful, and alive. Sharing the sadhana of teaching—the challenges, strategies, wisdom learned, and students’ journeys of healing and growth—magnifies the normal sense of peace and gratitude I felt when I taught I practice—and encourage others to solely. Plus it makes me even more convinced of the ef- practice—the “or-not mantra.” When you find fectiveness of yoga and other alternative approaches to health and wholeness. This, and our incredible com- yourself wigging out because things aren’t go- munity of students and growing number of karma ing as planned, when you start thinking, “I’ve got yogis at Dream, keep me going in the face of challenges that include a huge monthly lease and seemingly never to…,” “You have to….,” or “This has to be” this or enough time to both manage and build the business and do that way, take a breath and say, “Or not.” all the learning and teaching I want to do.

s What classes, workshops, and/or therapies are popular at your studio right now? Our hottest new offering is acupuncture. Students are discovering how it works with yoga to help remove energetic blockages, reduce pain, and promote healing. Students also seem to be gravitating toward our gentler meditation and “Yoga Stretch” classes. More are recognizing a need to slow down and be less demanding of and more loving toward their bodies.

s What activities do you offer that bring people together outside of yoga classes? This is an area of growth at Dream Yoga that I’m excited about. This year, we completed two successful karma yoga service projects—the first, helping about 40 Bhutanese refugee families resettle into our area, and the second, a huge collection for Dress for Success, a national nonprofit organization that helps women in need enter or return to the job market. Karma yoga projects broaden students’ yogic understanding, experience, and sense of community. They also help distinguish Dream Yoga from other places that offer only hatha yoga. Upon seeing the mounds of clothing and other contributions piled up in the studio’s reception area recently, a student new to Dream said, “This is what I like about this studio. You care more about helping others than avoiding a mess!” This year, we’ve also tried to add offerings that would serve those who might not be able to regularly attend a hatha yoga class due to physical or financial limitations. We started monthly laughter yoga classes for children and adults, and a Sunday Night Restorative class of gentle stretching and yoga nidra, offered on a drop-in, for-donation basis. Our first attempt at holding a movie night didn’t fly, but we’re hoping to try again in the winter session. continued on next page

s Why did you decide to affiliate with Kripalu? To enhance our ability to provide and promote the compassionately transformative yoga of Swami Kripalu. This is my thirtieth year as a yoga student and my tenth as a yoga teacher. I received my first 200-hour teacher certification in the Iyengar tradition, but it wasn’t until I found Kripalu Yoga in 2000 that I was truly inspired to teach this yoga that addresses the entire being. I realized early in my journey that sangha, along with service, is essential for my spiritual growth. Kripalu provides a community that advocates and models for me many of the yoga and teaching ideals I aspire to uphold and wish for others to embrace.

s What tip, information, or approach can you share from your experience that may be helpful to fellow studio owners? Have a clear intention for your work. Make plans, take action, and get the advice and help of others. Always allow time and space for surrender and grace. My experience is that, if you can get out of its way, the Universe has far bigger plans for you and your service than you could ever dream of. To help promote our Dream, we recently redesigned Dream’s website to make it easier for folks to see the breadth of our offerings. This is drawing in new people. But perhaps even more important through the years is our emphasis on getting new students via word of mouth. We ask our students to share their experience at Dream Yoga with For more than 30 years, Kripalu those they care about. Personal testimonials inspire understanding of and confidence has been serving humanity by of- in Dream classes and services. When friends and family come to Dream, our sense of fering opportunities for yoga prac- sangha grows. Known quality and a caring sangha keeps students coming back year after tice and other forms of experiential year. learning. During that time, Kripalu I also believe that having class registration by session (versus on a drop-in basis) has become known the world promotes coherence and continuity in classes, better instruction, student attendance, and over for the professional, heartfelt a sense of community. service of its staff, for its unique On another level, I practice—and encourage others to practice—the approach to personal growth “or-not mantra.” When you find yourself wigging out because things and transformation through yoga aren’t going as planned, when you start thinking, “I’ve got to…,” “You have to….,” or “This has to be” this or that way, take a breath and say, practice, and for the vitality of its “Or not.” You’ll be amazed at how this can help you prioritize and curriculum. People have come to relieve stress! associate the word “Kripalu” with a unique tone, feel, set of values, s What is your vision for your studio as it evolves? and way of being. Some people call this the “Kripalu Experience.” When students walk into our studio, they often take a deep breath in, exhale, and relax. They’re invited and able to come home to themselves here, and they take refuge. This is very Kripalu Affiliate Studios operate gratifying, as my guiding prayer has always been that of St. in harmony with Kripalu Center Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your and its network of affiliated yoga peace.” I think what distinguishes our studio studios. Our vision is to establish is how comfortable, welcome, and perhaps Kripalu Studios across the country hopeful people feel when they’re here. We and abroad. If you are a certified do our best to know our students’ and clients’ Kripalu Yoga teacher operating a challenges and goals, and enthusiastically studio, find out more about the share what we know that will help them. To benefits of Kripalu Affiliate Studios. further promote healing, we’re developing our capacity to offer therapeutic yoga to individuals View a list of our current Kripalu and groups. I am hopeful that we will continue Affiliate Studios. to manifest as a place where people come to find comfort and caring, to rebalance, and to experience the joy of being and of being in community. n

go to page 1 go to page 2 go to page 5 go to page 7 go to page 8 go to page 10 go to page 11 go to page 12 Namaste TFD Stories Studio Space KYTA Forum State of Training Substitute Teaching True Teacher Reviews YOGA Bulletin winter 2009 volume 18 issue 4 7 The KYTA Community Forum: Sangha online by Shaun Laframboise, KYTA Special Projects Administrator

f you haven’t yet joined the KYTA Community Forum, we’d like to This forum will be a great resource to introduce you to our home page! Below is a look at what you’ll me as a new teacher—there are so many amaz- find when you visit www.kripalu.org/forums: an easy- ing folks in the Kripalu community to learn from. I Ito-use listing of discussion topics, divided into categories and subcategories so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. see many great things to come from such a gathering Check out our FAQ page, introduce yourself to the of yoga-minded souls! It’s like an early Christmas group, ask questions, and share your knowledge. Take present—it’s just what I wanted! I will be sure to advantage of the support and resource available to you in make this a regular stop in my interweb travels. this online community of yoga teachers and practitioners by —Aja Blanc, Guilford, Connecticut, joining the KYTA Community Forum today! n KYTA member since 2008

Devarshi Steven Hartman, E-RYT, Dean of the Kripalu School of Yoga (KSY), has been a yoga student and teacher for 30 years and is a former longtime Kripalu resident. Devarshi is the creator of the best-selling audio series The Essence of the Bhagavad-Gita. He leads workshops and retreats throughout the country and, in addition to teaching yoga, is a healing arts practitioner and a teacher of A Course in Miracles. Yoga Bulletin Editor Tresca Weinstein spoke with him recently.

s Yoga Bulletin As we come to the end of 2009, can you share with us some of the highlights of the past year in the School of Yoga? Devarshi One of the best things that has happened in 2009 is that we have been able to further refine our curriculum, allowing us to stay on the cutting edge of yoga teacher trainings offered in the marketplace. This has been made possible due to a number of factors. One is the restructuring of the school, allowing resources to be focused more strategically on curriculum development, The transformation that hap- faculty and staff training, and admissions and recruitment. Two is the pens in our immersion-based trainings foundational depth and stability of the existing yoga curriculum. Over the past five years we have worked hard to strengthen and is extraordinary. People come out of both deepen our program content, and this year we’ve been able to our 200-hour and 500-hour yoga teacher capitalize on the work from the past years and take the train- trainings, and their friends and family go: ing to the next level. The third reason is the solidity of the KSY faculty team. Our teacher trainers are always excellent and, with Wow, what happened to you? the restructuring, we have been able to make it a priority for them to share their knowledge and experience with our KSY interns and program assistants. This has allowed us to have a comprehensive core staff of highly knowledgeable, personable, mature, authentic people teaching and supporting our students. I believe all of these are major reasons why our enrollment is exploding—it has expanded to such a degree that for both our November monthlong and our December 2 by 12 trainings we had to add a second YTT group. It’s nice to see our long-term investment in our program over the past years paying off so impressively—what we see happening now is that our graduates have experienced the benefits of our training and have gone out and embodied the teachings. As a result they have their own committed and inspired students, and now those students are coming to our YTT to also become yoga teachers. We’re attracting a wonderful, professional, dedicated, passionate group of people—of all ages, and many more young people. We are teaching yoga to a group of people who are really passionate about the difference yoga can make in their lives, the lives of others, and the world. The transformation that happens in our immersion-based trainings is extraordinary. People come out of both our 200-hour and 500-hour yoga teacher trainings, and their friends and family go: Wow, what happened to you? You are different. You’re happier, you’re clearer, you’re passionate, and all of that because of the yoga teacher training. The incredible support of having Holly [McCormack] as the Director of Professional Trainings, so that I am able to focus solely on the School of Yoga, has been an infusion for the curriculum, for the teaching, and for the consistency of the training. I also want to mention the staff members in the Professional Train- ings Office, who have been placing an amazing emphasis on coordinating the unbelievable amount of details that go into producing a YTT and on admissions and recruitment—tracking where and how our students come, what they need, what they want, what their feedback is, marketing to a wider audience, and being much clearer in our marketing materials about the quality that we offer and the hard skills people learn in Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training. All of this effort supports our students in having the highest quality experience from the moment they inquire about a training straight through to graduation.

s YB What’s coming up in 2010 for the School of Yoga? Devarshi The goals we’re working on are many. In 2010, we will be taking the necessary steps to remain the premier location for yoga teacher training. I believe we are one of the best yoga teacher trainings in the country because we don’t continued on next page

allow ourselves to rest on the success of past years. We are always looking ahead, thinking about what our current and future graduates need to have the edge in this booming industry. As such, we will be revamping the 200-hour teacher- training manual so that it can better support our students both in their training and as a resource after graduation. We’re retooling parts of the 500-hour teacher- training curriculum to create greater consistency among the modules, and to provide students with more of the hard skills that the industry is requiring as it grows. We’re also developing a 750-hour training, which we plan to launch in 2011. The 750-hour certification will most likely be comprised of three modules consisting of an additional 250 hours of training above the 500-hour level. More information about program content will be available in the coming months. This 750-hour training will be open to students who have completed their 500-hour teacher training with us or with other Yoga Alliance-approved programs and who are eager to deepen their personal and professional inquiry into yoga. It will be a unique opportunity to explore and experience what it means to be an effective, transformational, and cutting-edge yoga teacher. If we look at other complementary health markets, we can safely assume that in the near future more training is going to be what the yoga consumer demands and what yoga professionals will need and want in order to maintain their competitive advantage. As such, we are also in the preliminary stages of developing a 1000- to 2000-hour advanced training—similar to a master’s and doctorate certificate for yoga teachers. The 750-hour training will pave the way to this advanced 1000- to 2000-hour program by completing the necessary foundations. There are a couple of other exciting developments coming in 2010. For anyone thinking about taking the 500-hour training or who is currently in the training and hasn’t completed Module 2, Pranayama and Philosophy—Applying Ancient Teachings to the Modern World, there will be a unique opportunity to take this module with Dinabandhu and Ila Sarley, Kripalu’s CEO and President, respectively. The next upcoming date for Module 2 will be March 19–28. Also in 2010, in the 200-hour training, we’re drawing new, highly experienced yoga teacher trainers onto the team. We recently welcomed Jovinna Chan and Jurian Hughes as yoga teacher trainers, both of whom completed an intensive two-and-a-half-year YTT faculty apprenticeship. They are extraordinary teachers, with many prior years of experience, who have infused our team with their high energy, professional expertise, and dedication to the yoga teacher training curriculum and study.

s YB What do you hear from recent graduates who are going out into the world with their new skills? Devarshi So many of our young students, so quickly after graduating, have incredible websites and successful classes, are starting centers or working in centers, are creating strategic collaborations with corporations, schools, and health-care organizations, and are doing service projects—teaching yoga to people in prisons, people who have MS, children, people in Rwanda, and many different underserved communities. Every day I’m getting letters from graduates, and what they’re doing is remarkable and inspiring. They help us to further our mission by bringing the art and science of yoga to the world in so many creative and wonderful ways.

s YB What unique role or niche does Kripalu have right now in the world of yoga and yoga teacher training? Devarshi We’re seeing a larger draw of people coming in at both the 200- and 500-hour level who have graduated from other traditions or schools of yoga and are seeing Kripalu as a place for higher yoga education. This is one of the reasons why we are committed to offering more advanced tracks in the future, positioning Kripalu as the place to come to get the equivalent of a master’s- or doctorate-level education in yoga. Because Kripalu is a place that houses the inquiry of yoga in a nondogmatic, immersive, and interdisciplinary way, and because the best of the best teachers in the world come here, depth practitioners who are living yoga as well as teaching it recognize Kripalu as a very exciting place to study. No doubt, especially in these stressful times, more and more people are turning to yoga, and as much as people might think yoga has satu- rated the market, I’m still convinced that yoga has just begun to make its mark on our global society. The scientific research on yoga that senior Kripalu teacher Stephen Cope is conducting with Kripalu’s Institute of Extraordinary Living, in partnership with a team of Harvard research- ers, is going to prove to the medical community and the scientific community the undeniable positive effects of yoga on health and well-being. That evidence is what’s going to get yoga into mainstream society through the schools, the hospitals, the insurance companies, the corporations. As these institutions become familiar with yoga and its benefits and recognize Kripalu’s industry-leading commitment to validating the effects of yoga, the prestige that the Kripalu name has built for itself over the past thirty years will only strengthen. Our graduates want to be a part of that legacy and are proud to be affiliated with the Kripalu name. This is something no other training in the world offers. Kripalu is always on the leading edge of what yoga in the modern world is. The way we look back now at the ancient yogis,I think there will be a time a couple hundred years in the future when people will look back and see that Kripalu was the birthplace of much innovative integration between yoga and modern science.

Learn more about the Kripalu School of Yoga. n

s a former college Spanish teacher and Kripalu-trained yoga teacher, I’ve done a lot of subbing. It’s always with gratitude for new ways to explore my teaching, new people to meet. The cliché is that it’s a thankless job, but it doesn’t have to Abe. There are ways to make it rewarding for students and for the teacher as well. Yoga may not be as risky as skydiving or rock climbing, but there’s an element of the unknown in the learning and exploring we do. Most yoga studios even ask students to release us from liability if they injure themselves. The trust they show deserves a re- sponse. How can I take charge in a class that I might teach only once? Is there a way to show respect for boundaries and learning processes in a group where I don’t even have time to learn names? Why should other teachers’ students trust me or any other sub? There’s a lot that’s not in a sub’s control. But there are some things we can take charge of. We can control the tem- perature in the room for the Teachers who are hiring students’ comfort, and a sub can find ways to create safety make sure everyone has enough space and and comfort around the experience for access to what they Here’s what I suggest to any teacher need. We can invite both teacher and students. who might need a substitute: laughter, sighs, groans, questions, modified versions • Let your students know in advance of postures. We can ask permission how long you’ll be gone. before offering adjustments or props. We can acknowledge courage and determination, presenting different levels of challenge. These are basic Kripalu practices. When stu- • Tell them who the sub will be and dents feel safe on their mats, yoga happens. Sthiram sukham asanam: The pose is steady something about her. and comfortable. On the other side of the coin, teachers who are hiring a sub can find ways to create • Ask her to attend your class before- safety and comfort around the experience for both teacher and students. Recently I hand if possible. substituted for a teacher I’ll refer to as K., who was taking six weeks off to attend a yoga workshop. She invited me to attend three of her classes and had me join her for the • Share as much information about greeting and sign-in routine at the front desk. At the start of class, K. repeated every the students’ needs as you can. student’s name, then introduced me. She explained that she’d be away at a training and that I’d be attending the class to get to know everyone, then leading the class while she • Write out a class outline or lesson plan. was gone. In my first session substituting for K.’s class, I felt nervous but natural. As I introduced myself, I let students know where K. was and when she’d return. In each class that followed I felt the group accepting me. K. had the students’—and my—safety in mind, and we all felt it and were able to ease into the experience gracefully. Congratulations, If you do this when you can, your absence will seem less like an emergency. Your recent graduates of the students care about you. When they know you’re okay, they feel safe. 500-hour Kripalu Yoga If you do have an emergency, give your sub as much notice as you can, and let her Teacher Training! know what to tell the students. They don’t need to know every detail of your situation, but do have your sub tell them something. They’ll feel your presence and your caring in Susan Britton the preparations you make for their experience of yoga while you’re away. Jose F. Cuesta Cari Gardner Sonia Nalon began Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training at Discovery Yoga in St. Augustine, Florida, in 2006, and went on to earn her 500-hour certification. During three years of Edith Jason teaching classes and workshops around Tallahassee, she has been grateful to share yoga’s Christine M. Tayamen therapeutic powers. Sonia holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Spanish from Florida Anne Thiel State University and has worked as an editor, instructor, journalist, and translator. n

go to page 1 go to page 2 go to page 5 go to page 7 go to page 8 go to page 10 go to page 11 go to page 12 Namaste TFD Stories Studio Space KYTA Forum State of Training Substitute Teaching True Teacher Reviews YOGA Bulletin winter 2009 volume 18 issue 4 11 The true teacher (inspired by all who teach) An excerpt from Nourishing the Teacher: Inquiries, Contemplations & Insights on the Path of Yoga by Danny Arguetty

ho has been your greatest teacher? When I consider this question, I am always stumped. Indeed, I wonder if there has been any person, incident, or conversation that did not have a lesson tucked inside. Yet the most profound effect of all of the teachings that have graced my life has been their enrichment of the guide residing within. In Sanskrit, “sat” means “true,” and “guru” is Wtranslated as teacher, as well as “that which is valuable, precious, or heavy.” In the Upanishads, it is written, “In the presence of the satguru: Knowledge flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha aavirbahva); Abun- dance dawns (Samriddhi); and all these talents manifest (Sarva samvardham) .” Reflecting on times when I have felt all of these criteria at once, I remember my first meditation retreat in Malibu, California, the first timeI ate a conscious meal, a week spent in the magical desert of my homeland of Israel, a study retreat with my teacher, An authentic teacher and a lasting intimate connection. What ties all of these experiences and many entertains the difficult questions, others like them together is that they contributed to my practice of savoring the richness of life. For me, this has manifested as a sense of inherent fullness doesn’t pretend to know it all, and is more and the small voice within becoming more lucid and brave. Through connect- interested in an ongoing conversation than ing to the satguru, our self-trust is fortified, and suddenly we are able to grasp a final destination. the concept that the answers to all we have been seeking indeed reside within. Even after we establish this relationship with satguru, though, it—like any relationship—requires nourishment and maintenance. By employing mindfulness, cultivating witness consciousness, doing yoga, sitting for meditation, and being in the presence of a teacher, among other things, we can strengthen this guide who dwells in the heart. Although there are many experiences that can bolster our internal compass, history clearly demonstrates a strong emphasis on student-teacher relationships, apprenticeships, and dedicated learning with an experienced guide. When I first heard the term “guru,” my preconceived notion that this word signified a pledge of allegiance to only one teacher and one set of teachings brought up uncomfortable associations of dependency and restriction. What I soon came to understand through my relationships with teachers is that what I had previously interpreted as mindless worship was instead a natural manifestation of loving devotion and gratitude for all that these guides had awakened inside of me. Furthermore, I realized that a true mentor is not interested in dependency; instead, she seeks to enlighten and empower her students so they can function as self-reliant individuals exercising their own voices. An authentic teacher entertains the difficult questions, doesn’t pretend to know it all, and is more interested in an ongoing conversation than a final destination. The true measure of a guide lies in his or her ability to support us in cultivating the seeds we have always possessed inside. The Rig Veda states, “The one who does not know the way ask of him who knows it: taught by that knowing guide, one travels forward. Truly this is the splendid blessing of instruction: one finds the path that leads onward.” In asana practice, we seek guidance from an experienced mentor who offers both presence and instruction. When we step onto the mat in a class, we extend Teacher’s Note a measure of trust, signaling our intention to follow the lead of the teacher with consciousness. Pick three poses from each of the Through this practice, we discover our own unique expression of the asanas, ultimately sculpting main planning categories (standing, an authentic inner guide. The range of experiences we meet in the practice awakens something inversions, arm balances, hip open- inside, leading to greater trust of the satguru. As the class progresses, we might encounter blissful- ness, the challenge of a difficult pose, the distraction of low self-worth, or the recognition of our ers, backbends, forward bends and limits. All of these come together to enable us to know ourselves more fully. Through these inter- twists, relaxation). During the class, nal and external relationships, we can absorb teachings, wisdom, and guidance, and yet we are create space for student to choose always the ones who must ultimately make decisions and act in accordance with our own hearts. one posture from each group in In essence, “we are all sufficient unto our own enlightenment,” meaning that although others can which they feel they could use support us on our path, we already possess the innate ability to fulfill our deepest calling. support, and have them work with a partner. Remind students that this Danny Arguetty, MA, has studied and trained extensively in the Kripalu, Anusara, and vinyasa support from the outer teacher (the flow approaches to yoga. He teaches yoga classes and dynamic nutrition workshops, and offers partner) helps reinforce the inner on-on-one wellness consultations. Danny specializes in weaving creative language and inspira- teacher, or the satguru. tional heart-opening themes into his yoga classes, connecting the practice of yoga to the reality and beauty of everyday life. To order Danny’s book, visit www.nourishingtheteacher.com. n

go to page 12 go to page 1 go to page 2 go to page 5 go to page 7 go to page 8 go to page 10 go to page 11 go to page 12 Reviews Namaste TFD Stories Studio Space KYTA Forum State of Training Substitute Teaching True Teacher Reviews 12 YOGA Bulletin winter 2009 volume 18 issue 4 Contact Information Yoga on disc and on the Page Kripalu Yoga Teachers by Tresca Weinstein Association (KYTA) Room 204 Recently released products created by KYTA members website: www.kyta.org Light Returning e-mail: [email protected] Acoustic Ocean KYTA Manager “Merging musical arts with healing arts” is the slogan of Acoustic Ocean, made up of Vandita Kate Marchesiello KYTA members Bette Phelan and Peggy Morgan (formerly the acclaimed folk duo tel: 413-448-3114 Morgan & Phelan). Acoustic Ocean’s debut album, which has been on New Age Radio’s e-mail: [email protected] Top 100 chart for five months, grew out of harp compositions Peggy was improvis- ing during meditation. The harp’s sound is enriched by nearly a dozen additional instruments, including the Special Projects hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, rain stick, and mandolin as well as acoustic guitar, bass, and piano. Administrator Inspired in part by the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and created specifically for massage, yoga, and Shaun Laframboise relaxation, Light Returning weaves melodic vocals and the sounds of birds and surf into its meditative, atmo- tel: 413-448-3302 spheric compositions. www.acousticoceanmusic.com e-mail: [email protected] Yoga Peace Membership and Office Maggie Sky Administrator Focusing on peace, mindfulness, and gentle self-love, Maggie’s Yoga Peace CD offers four Amber Wlodyka options for practice: a 20-minute mini yoga session, a 40-minute session, a 10-minute tel: 413-448-3461 relaxation, or a combination of all three for a full-length practice. A psychotherapist e-mail: [email protected] certified in Kripalu Yoga, pregnancy yoga, and JourneyDanceTM, Maggie offers clear and personable guidance with an emphasis on breath and opening the heart center. The level of practice is appro- Yoga Bulletin Editor priate for beginners as well as more experienced practitioners. E-mail [email protected]. Tresca Weinstein,

Carol Dickman’s Balance Basics and Beyond: Easy Exercises to Improve Your Balance tel: 518-781-0343 Carol Dickman, Maria di Marco, Petra Abinader e-mail: [email protected] Carol Dickman may be the only yoga teacher ever to record a DVD in Las Vegas! As Kripalu Center she puts it, “If you can balance here, you can balance anywhere!” Set against a brightly Switchboard colored, traffic- and people-filled city background, and accompanied by foot-tapping 413-448-3400 tunes, Balance Basics is a ton of fun. Particularly appropriate for the elderly and those who are recovering from injury or on medication that affects their balance, the four Reservations practice sessions advance from simply lifting the toe and then the heel to swinging and 800-741-7353 circling each leg in the air. While the exercises offer preparation for yoga rather than the practice itself, Carol’s direction encourages awareness of breath and body. A bonus track “for viewing only” features Carol performing Eagle at a video arcade and Utthita YOGA Bulletin of the Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand to Toe) on an escalator! www.stretch.com Kripalu Yoga Teachers Associa- tion is published by Kripalu Pre- and Postnatal Yoga Center for Yoga & Health, Postnatal Yoga P.O. Box 309, Stockbridge, Slow Flow Yoga for the Mature MA 01262. Portia Brockway All rights reserved. © 2008 It’s hard to imagine a more soothing experience for mother and child (whether Edited by Tresca Weinstein. an infant or in utero) than these two DVDs from Portia Brockway, founder Designed by Derek Hansen. of Yoga in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who has 17 years’ experience teaching prenatal yoga. The prenatal practice, recorded in a dimly Kripalu is a 501 (c) (3) non- lit room with candles burning, focuses on breath, gentle seated and stand- profit educational organiza- ing poses, and relaxing imagery of sea, sand, and sun. In the equally tranquil tion whose mission is to teach postnatal practice, featuring a posse of adorable and amazingly content babies, the art and science of yoga to Portia guides mothers in incorporating their little ones into poses like Bridge produce thriving and health and Downward Facing Dog (the babies sit on their moms or lie beneath in individuals and society. The them). The babies get to do yoga, too, practicing belly-down movements, sit-ups, and even lotus position on Kripalu Yoga Teachers Associa- their backs (assisted by mom, of course). Portia’s Slow Flow Yoga for the Mature creates the same serene at- tion (KYTA) furthers this mis- mosphere in a moderate-level practice for adults that includes spine lengtheners and spinal twists, abdominal sion through an active network and back strengtheners, hip openers, nadi shodhana, and more. www.windsofgracemedia.com n of teachers living and teaching the full depth of yoga.